On 12th January 2019, a Chinese painting course started at the University of Mauritius. Mr Tan Xudong, Chinese Director of Confucius Institute at the University of Mauritius, welcomed all the participants for the opening of the course and said that the students not only learn the skill of Chinese painting, but also know more about the Chinese culture underlying the painting. Chinese painting is believed to be one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world.
Mr. Zhang Kangfu, Professor in Chinese painting, is from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (ZSTU). He started the first session of the course by explaining how Chinese painting is linked to the traditional culture of China. Professor Zhang described the long history of Chinese painting and aroused the students’ interest with intricate details of this art form.
Traditional Chinese painting is known as ‘guóhuà’ meaning "national" or "native painting". It is done with a brush dipped in black ink or coloured pigments and as with calligraphy, the paintings are usually made on paper and/or silk. The finished work can be mounted on scrolls, such as hanging scrolls.
The first part of the Chinese painting course is a basic one. A more advanced course is on schedule as soon as the students master the basic skill of Chinese painting.
Plate 1. Professor Zhang Kangfu giving a passionate description of the history of Chinese painting
Plate 2. Attentive CI-UoM Students at the first Chinese Painting Session